Gender-neutral terms; prohibitions on same-sex marriage and civil unions removed from Code.
Summary
Gender-neutral terms; prohibitions on same-sexmarriage and civil unions removed from Code; certain gender-specificcrimes; penalty. Replaces the terms "husband" and "wife" as wellas related terms with gender-neutral terms throughout the Code tocomport with the United States Supreme Court decision in Obergefellv. Hodges, 576 U.S. ___ (June 26, 2015). The bill also repealsthe statutory prohibitions on same-sex marriages and civil unionsor other arrangements between persons of the same sex purportingto bestow the privileges and obligations of marriage, and it makesconforming changes to various laws involving married individualsand their rights stemming from marriage. Further,the bill makes applicable to all persons, regardless of the genderof the victim, the crimes of (i) assisting or aiding in the abductionof or threatening to abduct a female under 16 years of age for the purpose of concubinage or prostitution; (ii) placing or leavingone's wife in a bawdy place; and (iii) defaming the chaste characterof a female. The bill provides that a defendant placed on probationmay be ordered to provide support for the defendant's spouse; currently,the law only provides for support of a defendant's wife. The billalso amends various criminal and criminal procedure laws to make them applicable to both same-sex and opposite-sex married couples. Finally,the bill repeals the crime of adultery.
Bill status
signed
all 5 stages cleared
Introduction
Jan 2020
Committee Review
Mar 2020
House of Delegates Passage
Feb 2020
Senate Passage
Mar 2020
Signed into Law
Apr 2020
Introduced Jan 6, 2020
Signed Apr 9, 2020
Floor votes · Senate Mar 3, 2020 · House of Delegates Feb 11, 2020
How they voted
24–16
Passed
Total votes 40
Mar 3, 2020
D
Democratic21
95% Yea
R
Republican19
78% Nay
Vote distribution
All Yea
All Nay
Mixed
No data
Full legislative history
Actions timeline
Total actions
39
Key actions
12
Committee
10
Apr 9, 2020
Signed into law
Approved by Governor-Chapter 900 (effective 7/1/20)
executive
Mar 3, 2020
Upper · Passed
Passed Senate with substitute (24-Y 16-N)
upper
Mar 3, 2020
Upper · Passed
Engrossed by Senate - committee substitute HB623S1
upper
Mar 3, 2020
Upper · Passed
Passed by temporarily
upper
Mar 2, 2020
Upper · Passed
Passed by for the day
upper
Feb 28, 2020
Upper · Passed
Passed by for the day
upper
Feb 28, 2020
Upper · Passed
Committee substitute agreed to 20108628D-S1
upper
Feb 26, 2020
Upper · Passed
Reported from Finance and Appropriations (11-Y 3-N)
upper
Feb 19, 2020
Committee
Rereferred to Finance and Appropriations
upper
Feb 19, 2020
Upper · Passed
Reported from Judiciary with substitute (8-Y 5-N)
upper
Feb 12, 2020
Committee
Referred to Committee on the Judiciary
upper
Feb 11, 2020
Lower · Passed
Read third time and passed House (57-Y 41-N)
lower
Feb 7, 2020
Lower · Passed
Reported from Courts of Justice (9-Y 8-N)
lower
Feb 6, 2020
Lower · Passed
Subcommittee recommends reporting (6-Y 1-N)
lower
Feb 4, 2020
Committee
Assigned Courts sub: Criminal
lower
Jan 6, 2020
Committee
Referred to Committee for Courts of Justice
lower
Jan 6, 2020
Introduced
Prefiled and ordered printed; offered 01/08/20 20100908D
lower
1 primary · 1 co-sponsor
Sponsors
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